If you are fed up with romantic comedies but invited to watch ‘Pattam Pole’ by your friends, decline. But if you really don’t mind spending more bucks to watch the predictable fare of playful lovers and their ‘poda-podi’ pranks, the kind that have been done-to-death in Bollywood flicks like ‘Jab We Met’ and umpteen Kollywood movies, then get two tickets and invite your you-know-who.
Cinematographer turned director Alagappan’s debut venture is a well-crafted though typical story of two young lovers, from two religious backgrounds, confused whether they are truly made for each other. They decide to elope one fine morning but soon return home fighting. The story then moves predictably, to show how the duo realise they cannot live without each other.
As the name suggests, the movie is a tale of love that turns one’s life into a kite, which will be go the way the wind blows, and always be rooted in uncertainty. Dulquar, as the doubtful Brahmin boy Karthik and debutant Malavika Mohan as the stylish Christian girl Riya put in clean performances. Anoop Menon, as their boss Michael (Mike), chips in every now and then with wisecracks that provide for some of the most witty moments in the film. Archana Kavi as Sherin, the ‘other girl’ in standard Rom-Com flicks has also done a good job.
But though breezy, the film suffers from stereotypes galore. In ‘Pattam Pole’, all Brahmins are coffee-drinking, old song listening accountants or directors who play carrom or chess in their free time, while all Christians are wine-loving, English-speaking, guitar-toting houseboat operators or fashion designers, who invariably spend their leisure time playing cards.
It’s this immature stereotyping that makes one wonder whatever happened to the much-hailed synchronisation of cultures in Kerala.
Of course there are cinematic shortcomings and loopholes aplenty, but for those in love, the fare dished out by Alagappan is more than palatable and it’s only when the credits start rolling that one realises the couples in the theatre are likely to be holding hands and smiling at each other, basking in the glory of affection. This crazy, little thing called love!